Blood Ties
by Shilom
Summary: Claire feels like somethings missing, and begins a journey to track down more of her birth mothers past. Join her as she discovers new family, with new powers.


**Claire's on a journey to discover her Mother's past**

Claire feels like somethings missing, and just can't seem to let things be. She decides to research her mother's past to see what else she can turn up, and finds more then she bargained for.

While trying to adjust to her new home and life, Claire feels like something is still missing. Granted, she has finally tracked down both her parents, and neither one of them wanted to be active in her life, but that just wasn't it. She felt happy with the parents who had raised her, had a sense of family and belonging more now then ever. She even had a sense of closure with her birth parents, all continuing down seperate paths along their individual journies. She missed Peter, having that shared ability and bond with him, the only blood relative who seeme to care about her.

She pulled out a card with her birth mothers number on it. She had moved, but was her cell phone number still active? She hadn't tried it since everything happened, and knew her dad would be dead against her contacting anyone from her past. Still, Claire couldn't push away that feeling, she had for weeks, but it had been building up like a storm, her emotions ready to pour out. Besides, Meredith wouldn't know where she was, and wouldn't tell anyone anyways.

She started to dial the number, then closed the phone midway. Her nerves were making her shake, and her stomach was beginning to cramp slightly. She took a few deep breaths and dialed again, pressed send, "Claire?" her dad popped his head in the doorway. She slammed the phone shut.

"Hi, Dad," she said half-heartedly.

"Who was that," he asked, looking at the phone in her hand.

"Just a girl from school," she lied.

He smiled as he walked over to the bed. "I'm glad you're making friends."

This wasn't what he came up here for. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to say goodbye, I'm leaving for training for a few days."

Claire eyed him suspiciously. "Didn't you just go for training?"

His eyes averted her. "It's ok, Claire. Nothing to worry about." He reached down and hugged her, holding her longer then he usually did.

Claire felt something was amiss, but then there always was with him. Her birth parents may have given Claire her power, but her dad had certainly taught her the art of deception. The only thing was, once you knew it, you could sense it as easily in others who mastered it as they could in you. This is why they left things unsaid, both aware of more going on, but compromising and relying on their love and trust to get them through it all. This is what being a family was all about.

"I love you, Claire," he told her, then kissed her on her forehead before leaving her room.

She followed him to the door. "Love you too, dad." She said as he continued down the hall. She shut the door and returned to her bed, redialing the number.

A recorded message came on, informing Claire the number was invalid. Frustrated, she slammed her phone shut and threw it on the pillow next to her. She layed back and shut her eyes, trying to clear her head.

Blood Ties 

The next morning, Claire called herself in sick after pretending to leave for school. Instead she headed back to the records hall, to try and dig up more about her mother's past. She had never really looked past where it had affected her own life, and she decided it was time to change that.

She checked in under a fake name and sat at one of the monitors, flipping through old newspaper articles. Information was sparse though, as she could only find the ones pertaining to the fire again. The Company must have covered their tracks past that, leaving just enough information to erase Claire's existence back then.

Claire tried her Meredith's name again and again, before finally dropping to just the surname and narrowing it down to surrounding cities where she had known her to live. Finally a name came up in a birth announcement, Norine Gordon. She had given birth to Claire's mother. Excited at this trinket of information, she started searching with a new keyword, the name of Claire's grandmother.

There wasn't much to find, and most of it seemed pretty normal. A wedding announcement for her grandparents, and further down the line, a death announcement for her grandfather. She was even able to find a p.o. box address, with which people could send their cards and sympathy to at the time of his funeral. Claire jotted it down and cleared the history.

Blood Ties 

Claire sat on a bench in front of the small grocery store that housed the post office boxes. She felt defeated after the clerk denied her any information to the owners current address. She watched the people come and go, hoping to see her grandmother among them. She had seen an image of her accompaning the death announcement. Her grandmother had looked classy, steel blue eyes piercing through the camera, and soft features on her saddend face. Her brown hair was pulled loosely into a bun, and she looked remarkably young considering she had to be well into her fifties or sixties.

She wondered if the box was still active. It had been a few years since her grandfather passed, perhaps Norine had closed it. Claire still had hope if that was the case, though. This small grocery store was in the middle of a modest suburb, hidden away from the rest of the world. It was probably family owned.

After a few hours of sitting, leaving only briefly to grab a snack and use the restroom, Claire felt a tap on her right shoulder. She jumped and spun her head around to see who was there.

Norine beamed down at her, a lovely smile on her face, obviously happy to see her. "Another grandchild," she whispered, her soft fingers playing with Claire's blonde hair.

Claire felt her nerves shaking again, thoughts overwhelming her, trying to think of the right words to say. "Another...?" was all she managed to get out.

Norine looked up and down the block. "Come with me, it's not safe here in the open," she said, turning towards a car parked a few feet away.

Claire's stomach flipflopped a bit, but her intuition told her she was ok. She followed her.

**part 2, Claire retraces her roots**

Claire meets her grandmother, and catches up with her past.

Norine pulled up to a nice, two story home a few blocks from the grocery store. She pressed a button above the visor and the garage door opened, then she pulled inside and closed it, shutting the car off. She turned to Claire. "I'm Norine, your grandmother."

Claire nodded. "I know."

Norine watched her, waiting. "Well, my dear, do _you_ have a name?"

Claire felt her cheeks redden. "I'm sorry, yes. Claire."

Norine embraced her, and Claire felt her whole body and all the stress cave into her. She felt so right, so warm, so real. When Norine finally pulled away, Claire resisted for a moment. "How did you find me?" she wanted to know.

"I was trying to find more about my mother's past, but there wasn't much there. I eventually found her name in a birth announcement you had published, and I tracked you down from there."

She nodded, troubled as she retraced Claire's steps. "If I had known then what I do now, I never would have published that." She opened the car door and stepped out, waiting for Claire as she unlocked the door leading inside the house. Claire followed her inside, taking everything in on their way to the living room.

The kitchen was between the side door and the living room, and it was very traditional looking. Hardwood floors and dark cabinets added to it's character, and owl magnets and figurines added to it's charm.

The living room was small, but cozy. Photo's lined the back wall, and Claire lingered there, viewing each one. There was one of her grandparents on their wedding day, a family photo from when her mom was an infant, and many more as they all aged through the years. She smiled as she viewed her mom as a young child, smiling widely as she sat on a red trycicle. Another of her mom on the first day of school. The wall was covered in them, and she felt her grandmother beside her, touching her arm. Claire's eyes stopped halfway down the wall, locking in on what would otherwise be a familiar photograph, of Claire and her mother. Meredith was holding Claire, who was only a newborn at the time. Claire's eyes welled up with tears, and Norine nudged her down to the couch.

"Don't take it all in at once," Norine said to her, wrapping her arm around Claire.

Claire couldn't speak, her tears rolling down her face, missing the family she never got to know. She rested her head on her grandmother's shoulder, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while.

Blood Ties - Part Two 

Claire woke up to the smell of chicken and vegetables cooking in the kitchen. She sat up on the couch and quickly checked the time. It was still early, but school would be out soon, and her mom would wonder where she was.

"Grandma?" she called out.

Norine appeared out of the kitchen. "Oh, Dear, you're awake," she said, smiling. "How do you feel?"

Claire walked into the kitchen and watched her grandmother as she returned to the stove, setting the food up on plates. "Sorry I fell asleep," she said.

"It's ok, Dear. You've had a lot to process today."

"Little early for dinner, isn't it?" Claire asked.

Norine chuckled, "I suppose it is. I just couldn't resist making my lovely granddaughter something to eat." She brought the two plates to the table and sat down. Silverware and tall glasses of milk were waiting.

Claire sat down and began to cut her meat, suddenly hungry from the missed lunch and light snack she had that morning. Norine watched her closely, her own food remaining untouched.

After a few bites Claire felt her eyes on her and looked up. Norine looked away before saying, "I'm sorry, Dear. It's just that I thought... I thought you were dead." A tear fell from her eye. She looked back to Claire. "The last time I saw you, you were so small." She smiled. "You used to take all the tupperware and pots and pans out of my cabinets and play with them for hours."

Claire smiled, trying to remember anything at all from those days. Norine seemed vageuly familiar, but in the way one might after meeting a blood relative for the first time. A sense of familiarity there, but not memory.

After helping her Grandmother clean up after dinner, they sat back down on the couch and she pulled a thick photo album out. Claire loved flipping through more pictures, watching her mother grow up before her eyes. Her grandmother told her about others as they went, aunts and uncles, great grandparents, friends and co-workers that popped up here and there. As they got further into the book, more pictures of Claire popped up. She seen one of her first bath, some of her crawling and learning to walk, and with others holding her. She smiled as she came upon one of her playing with a toddler, he was shaking a rattle over her as she smiled. "Who's this?" she asked. "Another cousin?"

"No, my child, that's Jackson," was Norine's reply.

Claire looked up at her, confused.

Norine looked at her, realizing Claire didn't know. "Claire, that's your _brother_."

**Claire discovers more to her familys history.**

Claire visits with her grandmother, and gets more answers to her mothers troubled past. Part three. "copywright 2007"

Claire stared at her grandmother, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. "I have a brother?" she asked.

Norine nodded. "Yes, he was born eleven months before you."

"Where is he now?" Claire wanted to know.

"He lives here, with me," Norine told her. She paused as she sought the words to continue. "Jackson was born under the same circumstances as you, Claire. Meredith said she knew for sure you had different fathers, but she never told me anything about either of them. She was so young when she had Jackson, when she had _both_ of you. Young and afraid. She was living with me when Jackson was born, and then one day, she just left."

Claire continued looking through the album as she listened. She flipped through all of her brother's photos now, watching him grow up as she got further into the book. Thoughts flooded her mind; Was he gifted too? Did he know about her? She pushed them to the back of her head and tried to focus on her grandmother.

"I didn't hear from her for months," she was saying. "Then one day, I got a call from her. She was in the hospital after just giving birth to you. She sounded upset, and apologized for running off on us, and for leaving her son with me. I went to see both of you right away."

Norine sipped on her tea and looked at the picture Claire was staring at. It was of Jackson's birthday party, he was blowing out the candles on his cake as kids cheered him on. "He was five there," she told her, then continued to her story. "As much as I was thrilled to have another grandchild, I was worried about Meredith. I insisted she move back home, but she said she had her own place now, and was being taken care of financially; I presumed by your father. Meredith asked about taking Jackson back, and I was heartbroken. After some talk, and knowing I didn't have any control over the situation, I agreed. We compromised to visits at first though, to get him used to the idea of being around her again. After a few weeks, when Jackson was used to her again, she had changed her mind. Meredith was busy with you, her new baby, and thought maybe I could help her out a while longer with Jackson. As much as I felt he deserved to be with his mother, I wanted him here with me, and I knew he was better off." Norine looked solemly at Claire. "I wanted you too, Claire. I just want you to know that."

Claire wiped at her eyes. "She wasn't a very good mother, was she?"

"Meredith was a great girl," Norine defended her. "Some people just aren't meant for parenthood. I wanted to help her, and to raise you both, but she wouldn't have it. She signed over custody for Jackson when he was two, but she wouldn't consider letting you go. As much as I hate to say this, you were her meal ticket. With your father out of the picture, she needed you to survive."

Claire nodded, that sounded just like Meredith.

"I've raised Jackson like he was my own, he's the son we never had," she said. "I was heartbroken when I thought you died in that fire, but now, we can finally be a family."

Claire smiled, the feeling that something was missing slowly dissipating. "Where is he?" she asked about her brother, anxious to meet him.

Norine's face clouded for a second before answering her, "He'll be back in a few days. He'll be so excited to know his sister is alive and well."

Claire wanted to ask more, to find out what Norine knew of their powers, but she held back, afraid the older woman wouldn't understand it all. Looking at her watch again, she realized school had been let out twenty minutes ago. "I have to go," Claire told her.

"So soon?"

"My mom doesn't know I'm here," Claire explained, gathering her things.

"So you were adopted?"

Claire nodded and leaned over to hug her grandmother, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. It seemed impressively smooth for her age, and it made Claire wonder again about her family's gene pool.

"I'm glad to here that, Claire. You deserved a good life, and you seem to have turned out quite nicely," she smiled. "Let's keep this to ourselves for now, ok dear?"

"Yes, of course," Claire replied quickly. She didn't want her father to know she'd been digging around again, then it occurred to her Norine was hiding something as well. Whatever it was, she would have to find out another day. Right now, she had to get home.

**Claire meets her long lost brother**

"copywright 2007"

It had been a few days since Claire had met her grandmother, and so much had happened. Ever since her father had found out about West, he had been acting really strange and even more overbeaing then usual. Tonight, he was out of the house, and with that, so was she. She told her mom she had a study group, and headed straight to Norine's house.

When she pulled up the suburb the second time around, she noticed there was a guard and gate. "I don't remember that being there before," she mumbled to herself. He stepped out of his guardshack and approached her.

As she rolled the window down, he said, "Who are you here to see?"

"Norine Gordon."

He looked at her for a second, then held a finger up as he returned to the shack to phone someone. A minute later, the gate lifted and he waved her through.

As she pulled into Norine's driveway, her grandmother was already halfway across the lawn to meet her.

"What's going on?" Claire asked, getting out of the car.

Norine embraced her, then nudged her along towards the house. Once inside, Norine sat Claire down and began talking. "When you found me, I was really worried the Company wouldn't be far behind. We had to secure the premises."

"The premises...?" Claire asked, confused. "That guard gate is securing the whole neighborhood..."

Norine nodded, a distant look in her eye. "There's something I didn't tell you before, Claire. This neighborhood, well, it's special."

"Special how?" Claire asked. "And wait a minute, a guard gate isn't going to keep the company from getting in here if they really want to!"

"No, but the guard certainly will."

Claire's eyes widened. "So you know about everything? The abilities..."

Norine nodded. "I wasn't sure if you had them last time, but when you left, I looked into it and found out all about you." She smiled. "Claire, a long time ago, when the Company was formed... Well, a lot of us had a very uneasy feeling about it. There were those that opposed them, and we saw what happened to _them._ We just wanted a normal life, and we decided the best chance for that was to hide. In plain sight."

Claire took it all in. "So, this whole neighborhood?"

"Yes. We are the families of those with abilities, and as far as we know the Company knows nothing about us." She paused. "Claire, you can't come here anymore."

Claire's eyes welled up with tears. "But..."

Norine pulled her in. "You are welcome to stay here, but to come and go like this, it's too risky. We have decided as a community to relocate."

"But I can't..." Claire trailed off, sobbing. Norine held her closer and Claire closed her eyes and rested against her grandmother.

Blood Ties - part 4 

When she awoke, she felt someone watching her sleep. She jolted upright, adjusting her eyes to the dark room. A boy not much older then her was watching her, his deep brown eyes penetrating her soul, a warm smile on his face. "Hi, Claire."

"Jackson?"

"Yea," he said, crossing the room to her. With one swoop, he lifted her into his strong arms and hugged her close. "I'm so happy to see you, sis. I thought you were dead."

Her tears flowed freely now, and she wiped at her face.

"Come with us," he said, holding her close.

She shook her head. "I can't... I don't know, I need time to think."

"Of course. Gram's just worried they're going to find us. They almost did once."

"What happened?"

They sat down. "A few years ago, before gramps died, we were living in another community, a few states away. They were able to track one of the other's down and kidnap him, but we were able to leave before they found out where we were. We're not sure what happened to him, though."

"So you guys just live in plain sight like this? I mean, I found you fairly easy."

"It looks like plain sight, but actually it's one of the abilities. Jasmine is able to create an illusion; to the outside world it looks like any ordinary suburb, but really, we're all in this big, invisible bubble. If Grams or Mike hadn't let you in, you never would have even seen it."

"But what about the store?"

"It's a front. It's really here, that's why you were able to go there. Millie owns it, and is our lookout, that's how Grams found out someone was looking for her. She was real worried too, until she found out about you." He hugged her again. "Grams had Jas add the guard gate to the illussion after you left, to keep an eye out for the Company sniffing around, and to watch for you."

Norine brought hot tea for everyone, and sat down across from them. "I wanted to tell you everything last time, Claire, but I just didn't think you were up for it."

"So what abilities do you guys have?" Claire asked.

Norine smiled. "You haven't figured that out yet, Dear?" Claire thought and shook her head.

Jackson smiled. "The gift of sleep."

**Claire inadvertantly tips the Company off while tracking down her family**

"copywright 2007"

Claire stared at Jackson, then at Norine. "So _you_ put me to sleep those times?"

Norine nodded, "Yes, Dear, you needed it."

"Gram's power not only induces sleep, it's also a stress reliever, and helps people cope," Jackson told her. "Not to mention it's _very_ helpful in situations where we need to defend ourselves."

"So what do _you_ do, Jackson?" Claire asked him, intrigued.

He smiled. "I can purify things."

Claire looked at him, confused. "Like what?"

"Anything. Water, air, _blood."_

"Jackson's gift to mean the end of disease," Norine said proudly. "No more food poisoning, no more _cancer_. Whatever he touches turns perfect. At first, we thought he could heal other's, but when we used to go camping, we learned it was more then that."

Jackson nodded. "Early on, one of the other kids learned he had the power to_ create_ disease. That's how he first found out about my power, it counteracted everything he did. For years, that's all I thought I could do. Then we went camping for the first time when I was seven, and Gramps took me fishing. When I was helping skin it, my power went into effect and the fish looked cleaner then before. That's when we realized I wasn't a cure as much as a human purifier."

Norine chuckled, and Claire smiled. "I'm so excited I finally get to see you guys!" she gushed.

Jackson hugged her again. "You have no idea how excited we are as well."

A knock on the door interuppted them, and they all jumped a little. Norine went over and opened up, the guard pushing past her into the house. "Claire, this is Mike," Norine introduced them.

"Hi," he said, looking quickly at her then back to Norine. "Millie said a few of them just showed up, hot on Claire's trail. We have to move soon."

Norine nodded. "I expected as much. How's Jasmine holding up?"

"Jasmine's fine, still out like a light and focusing on her energy at hiding us. It's Millie I'm worried about."

"What's wrong?" Norine asked.

"She said she never saw them coming, her ability just didn't work," he said, concerned.

"The Haitan," Claire whispered.

"The what?" Jackson asked.

"His ability makes it so other's can't use theirs," she explained to them.

Mike looked relieved for a second, then even more concerned, "We have to get out of here, now!"

"Jasmine..." Jackson trailed off. Mike turned to the door and the two of them bolted out of it.

Claire started after them, but Norine blocked her way. "It's ok, Claire, let them handle it."

"But we have to go!" Claire exclaimed.

She shook her head. "They will move Jasmine further from the location, where the Haitan can't effect her."

"But what about us? If they move her, won't we all be exposed?"

"No, I told you, we are in this alternate reality, safe as long as Jasmine holds up. We move Jasmine, we also move," She explained.

"Well, the Haitan's close, I hope they move her before he neutralizes her power."

**The Powers within**

Claire learns more about the people she's met, and the powers they hold. Including one who reminds her of Snow White. "copywright 2007"

After some time, Mike and Jackson returned. "Where's Jasmine?" Norine asked them.

"We moved her to another safe house," Mike reassured her. "Just in time, too, Millie says they're crawling all over the neighborhood."

"So if Jasmine has to stay focused to keep this bubble going, how does she do anything else?" Claire wanted to know.

"She doesn't," Jackson stated simply. "Grams keeps her asleep, she's basically in a coma."

"She's just alert enough to keep focus," Norine added.

Claire gasped. "That's so wrong..."

"She wanted it that way," Norine told her. "She wakes up every so often, gets a break, usually when we move around. When were on high alert like this though, it's imperative she remains focused."

"Besides," Jackson continued for her, "It's not like it's stressing her out. She's able to remain completely relaxed while focusing her energies, it barely exerts her at all." His eyes looked distant and pained as he spoke of her.

Claire touched his arm. "She's kind of like Snow White."

Jackson smiled at that, and Claire sensed that he wanted to be Jasmine's prince. "We grew up together," he told her. "We were five when she realized her power. It was so much fun. Most kids imagine they're in faraway lands, we actually got to _be_ in them, wherever she created."

"That sounds like fun," Claire agreed.

Jackson's face darkened. "When we were twelve, someone tried to snatch me. She was quick though, and she hid before they ever seen her. She made me disappear before they even knew what happened."

"That's when we realized how great Jasmine's power truly was," Norine said. "She could protect us all, hiding us in a perfect little world, away from everything we feared."

"It came at great price though," Jackson said.

"That's why we live to protect Jasmine," Mike said. "Without her, we all would have been found out by now."

Claire thought a minute, then said, "I never would have found you if you hadn't put that funeral announcement out."

Norine nodded. "I know. Your Grandfather's sister did that, she didn't realize."

"And now it's time to relocate. We've been here far too long as it is," Mike said, sitting back. Claire wondered what his power was. "We'll leave in the morning, Jas should be fine for now."

Claire curled up on the couch next to her grandma, and Jackson on the other side. She wrapped her arms around her to grandkids and held them close, quietly singing a lullaby as Mike let himself out. Claire felt herself drifting off, then sat up. "I can't sleep now," she said. "My moms going to expect me home."

"Where did you tell her you were?" Jackson asked.

"Study group."

"It's friday, can't you just tell her you're staying over a girlfriends house?" he suggested.

Claire smiled and nodded, already dialing home. She wanted to spend as much time with them before they left, and she needed to make her mind up about going with them. She knew she couldn't, but she couldn't bare to part with them yet either.

Claire felt herself being lifted up, and opened her eyes to see Jackson above her, cradling her close. He carried her gently to one of the bedrooms, and set her down on a bed that was readied. She sat up, suddenly wide awake. "Sorry," he told her. "I was trying to move you without waking you up, so you'd be more comfortable."

"It's ok," she said. "How long was I out for?"

"Ten minutes," he snickered.

"That's it? I feel like I've been sleeping all night!" she said.

He nodded. "That's part of Gram's power. That's why she looks so young."

Claire nodded and asked, "So tell me more about everyone here. What's Mikes power?"

Jackson sat down next to her and took a deep breath. "Mike has strength and super speed, which makes him very helpful when we need to move Jas quickly. He acts as her guardian."

"Where are her parents?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Her dad was never in the picture. Her mom was abducted when she was a toddler. Everyone here just took her under their wing, we're all one big family here." He smiled at her, and she felt like he was trying to win her over to join them.

"How many people are here?" Claire asked next.

"Thirteen. Me, Grams, Mike, Jasmine, Millie and her husband and their two kids; Sally and Ryder, and two other families you'll meet soon enough." It was a lot to take in, and Claire had already forgotten some of what he told her. "We all work together to stay safe and try and keep hidden from the outside world. It can be hard sometimes, as we always need someplace to keep Jasmine so she can safely use her ability. She is so vulnerable when she's under."

Claire touched his arm. "You really love her, dont you?"

Jackson nodded. "Yea."

Jackson nodded. "Yea. We always talked about being together, but we rarely have that chance. There's much more going on that we have to make a priority, a whole war that the world isn't even aware of."

Claire felt sad. She wanted her brother to be happy, but she knew he was right. "All these years, the price I paid for my abilties," she murmered. "My freedom, my childhood. Now I feel selfish, I haven't sacrificed anything compared to you."

He looked at her, her eyes moist. "Don't say that Claire. You have sacrificed a lot, we all have. Just because you sacrificed other things, doesn't mean they didn't mean something to _you_."

She nodded, she knew he was right, but still, she felt different. As if knowing his sacrifices were beginning to change her even more. Make her into a better person. "Where are you guys headed next?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but if I did I couldn't tell you."

Claire sighed. "How will I keep in touch with you?"

"Come with us," he urged her.

"I can't," she said. She looked into his deep, brown eyes. "I've met someone too."

His face softened, "Do you love him?"

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Then stay, follow your heart. We'll be ok. And I'll find a way to get in touch with you, maybe another post office box."

Claire stood in the living room, Jackson embracing her tightly. "I don't want to leave," she told him.

"I know, sis," he soothed her, running his fingers through her long, blonde hair.

Norine came out, and hugged the two of them, holding them both close. "Come with us, Claire," she said.

"I can't," she told her, tears welling up in her eyes now. "I just can't, I have to get back to my life."

Norine nodded, saddened, but accepting what she could not change. She had missed Claire's whole life, and her stomach twisted at the thought of parting with her granddaughter again, but she had to let her go. She couldn't force her to remain with them. She had debated it loosely, but knew that this wouldn't be the last she seen of Claire.

"I want you to meet someone before you leave," Jackson told her. Claire brightened up, knowing exactly who he meant. His Snow White.

Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, whoever she reminded Claire of, it was definitly a noble Princess laying down her own life to protect her kingdom and the ones she loved. Claire gazed at Jasmine asleep on the couch in the dark, humid room. Norine crossed to her and lowered down next to the dark-haired girl. "Jasmine," she whispered. "Wake up, sweetie."

Jasmine's eyelids moved, and her right hand twitched the smallest bit across her stomach. Her eyes slowly opened, and began to adjust to the little bit of light in the dark room. Jackson crossed over to her, and Norine moved out of their way. He sat beside her on the couce, and took her hands in his own, looking down at her with all the love in his heart. "Hey," he said. She smiled and slowly sat up, his arms wrapping around her as she did. "I wanted you to meet my sister before we leave."

Jasmine looked around the room, taking everything in, before focusing her eyes on Claire. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi," Claire replied, crossing the room more so they could see each other better. She sat in a chair next to the brown couch and leaned forward to look at Jackson's girlfriend.

"Jackson filled me in when they moved me," Jasmine told her, smiling. "It's great you're here, and alive. Everyone is so happy to learn this."

Claire smiled. "Thanks. I'm happy to be alive." Jasmine giggled. "So I understand you might be my future sister in law?"

Jasmine turned a deep red, quite the accomplishment for her already tan skin. She looked up to Jackson, but he was a nice shade of red himself. Claire laughed and nudged his arm. "What's wrong, big brother, put you on the spot?"

Norine laughed. "Nothing he isn't used to."

"I hope you know, Claire, if you ever decide to join us, we will come back for you," Jackson told her. "No matter how much you might embarrass me!"

"I will keep that in mind," Claire said. "It was nice to meet you, Jasmine." She stood and reached over to hug Jasmine, readying the inevitable goodbye she had to deliver.

Claire stood on the side of the street, watching as the others loaded into a minivan and Norine's car. "You sure you won't come along?" Norine asked her one last time.

Claire shook her head. "I can't. I have to get home, my family needs me."

Jackson smiled. "Although you know you have two families now, you're probably right. They need you more then we do," he joked, mostly serious, elbowing her arm. "We'll be fine, sis." He handed her something that looked like a compass. "And if you ever need to get in touch, use this."

Claire looked it over, unimpressed. "This looks an awful lot like the windmill the Haitan gave me," she mumbled.

Jackson looked at her. "Are you blind?"

"No," Claire laughed, realizing how odd that sounded. "I just mean, well, he gave me a normal everyday thing to get in touch with him, too. I never asked how it worked, though." She looked at him. "How does this work?"

Jackson took it and turned it over, showing her a small tab on the back. "Here," he pointed. "Looks like an ordinary part of it, perhaps for a battery." He opened it up and a small, green light caught her eye. She blinked. "You press this," he told her, closing it all back up. "It sends out a transmission completely unheard by the naked ear. Earl, one of ours, is the only one who can pick up on it. He can locate you that way."

Claire nodded, understanding the abilities of yet another person she hadn't met. She wondered if she ever would meet him, or the others. Jackson hugged her, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. "I'll miss you," she told him.

"We'll meet again. We _have_ to," Jackson reassured her.


End file.
